In short: beginning fall 2026, the SHSAT becomes a computer-adaptive test, where the questions students see are influenced by their performance earlier in the exam. NYC STEM Club prepares students for it on its own adaptive practice platform, where answers are locked once students move on to the next question — built to reflect the real exam.

See how it feels — try a sample

Below is a short, free sample of the adaptive, on-screen format on our own platform — answer a few questions the way your child will on test day, committing to each answer and moving forward.

If you have a child in 7th grade, this is the most important SHSAT update you’ll read this year. Starting this fall, the SHSAT is changing, and it changes not only how students take the test, but how they need to prepare for it. Here is what you need to know.

The change, in two steps

The NYC DOE is making this change in two steps:

• Fall 2025 — the test went digital. Students took it on a computer rather than on paper. The overall structure and timing stayed the same, with some new interactive question types.
• Fall 2026 — the test becomes computer-adaptive. In broad terms, an adaptive test responds to how a student is performing as they go… we direct families to the , which we follow closely.

If your child is in 7th grade now, they are preparing for the fall 2026 adaptive test.

What this means for preparation

The content hasn’t changed — students still face the same mathematics and reading. The way they take the test has. And how a student prepares needs to match how they’ll actually test.

An adaptive, on-screen exam demands two things at once: real command of the material — deep enough that a student keeps their footing as the questions get harder — and the composure to perform on a screen, under time, with no traditional tools to lean on.

That second part is what most preparation misses. A student can know the material cold and still be thrown on test day by conditions they’ve never practiced in:

• Reading on a screen — long passages, no paper to mark up
• On-screen tools — navigating the interface instead of a pencil
• No going back — answers are locked once a student moves to the next question
• A test that adapts — each answer shaping what comes next

None of this can be learned in the abstract. Unless a student practices where the environment closely mirrors test day, they meet all of it for the first time when it counts most. That is what our platform is built to reproduce.

How we prepare students

Our preparation is a deliberate sequence, all on the platform we built ourselves — each stage adding what the one before it set up.

Master the fundamentals, then exceed them. We make the fundamentals solid, then push past grade level. Because we write our own tests, we hold students to a higher standard than the exam itself requires — so they train with margin to spare, rather than meeting their ceiling for the first time when it counts.

Onto the screen, in real conditions. Students move to full practice exams in the same on-screen format, with the same tools and the same answer-locking conditions they’ll face on test day. This is where the screen, the navigation, and the stamina stop being obstacles and become second nature.

Adaptive, done our way. Finally, the practice goes adaptive: as your child works through the test, the experience responds to how they’re doing — the same kind of experience the new SHSAT will give them. But we made one deliberate choice in how ours works. On an adaptive test, a few careless mistakes can send a student toward easier and easier questions — and then they spend the rest of the session on material that’s too simple to teach them anything. We don’t let that happen. Our practice adjusts to each student, but the questions stay hard. A bad ten minutes never turns into an easy afternoon.

Built beyond the test. Everything we do is, on its face, SHSAT preparation. But we deliberately build a student’s scholastic aptitude far past what this one test requires — to what ninth grade at a specialized school will actually ask of them. Strong reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning are what help students earn admission to schools like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, but they are also the skills students will rely on once they get there. Our goal is not merely to prepare students for one exam, but also to help them develop the academic foundation needed to succeed in a demanding high school environment.

What to do right now

Begin with a diagnostic. A real, timed practice test shows where your child genuinely stands relative to the cutoff scores at their target schools — not where you assume they stand. It is the honest starting point for any serious preparation. (See our guide to 2026 cutoff scores.)

From there, we build the plan. We teach in small classes at our downtown Manhattan location, with our own teachers, our own materials, and the adaptive practice platform we built ourselves. It is why more than 90% of our students earn specialized high school offers, with nearly half placed at Stuyvesant.

Ready to begin? . Questions about the test itself? See our SHSAT FAQ.

Frequently asked questions

What is changing in 2026?
Beginning in fall 2026, the SHSAT moves to a computer-adaptive format, where the questions adjust to each student’s performance. For the precise details of the new format, we direct families to the , which we follow closely.

Does my child need to prepare differently than students did last year?
Yes. The material to master has not changed, but the experience of the test has — so preparation now has to build comfort with an adaptive, screen-based format, not only command of the content.

My child already practiced on the digital test. Is that enough?
It’s a real head start — comfort on a screen still counts. But the new format brings constraints that last year’s test didn’t have: answers are locked once your child moves to the next question, sections are worked one at a time — and the test adapts as they go. Committing to an answer under pressure and staying composed after a hard question are skills of their own, and they only come from practicing under those same constraints. That’s what our platform is built for.

Does your practice work exactly like the real adaptive test?
Not exactly — and the difference is deliberate. A test built to measure will ease off when a student stumbles. That’s fine for measuring — but it’s the wrong way to train, because it backs off just when a student most needs the push. Our practice gives your child the real experience — the secure setting, the pacing, answers locked once they move on — while keeping the questions hard the whole way through. A rough patch never turns into easier and easier questions. Talk to us — we’re happy to walk you through how we approach it and why it makes students train harder.

If the practice adapts to my child, will they still see difficult material?
Yes. The practice adjusts to each student, but the questions stay hard throughout. Your child won’t end up working through questions that are too simple to teach them anything, no matter how a session unfolds.

Where can my child practice for the adaptive SHSAT?
On our own adaptive practice platform, where answers lock once a student moves on — just as they will on test day. Students train on full digital exams in conditions that mirror the real test — building the rigor, the screen skills, and the composure the adaptive format asks for.

When should we start?
Earlier is better. Comfort with an adaptive, screen-based format is now part of readiness itself, and students build it through steady practice over time rather than a final push.

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1. Gaining Real-World Experience Through Work

Employers and colleges value the maturity, responsibility and skills gained from working. Whether it’s a retail job, a barista at a local coffee shop, or an office assistant, work teaches valuable life lessons not found in classrooms. Work also demonstrates a student’s ability to manage time, collaborate, and commit to responsibilities outside their academic life.

2. Participating in a Summer Internship

Internships are a way for students to gain direct exposure to their field of interest. They offer a glimpse into professional environments and provide hands-on, interest specific experience that can set a student’s college application apart. Securing an internship, especially in a competitive field, communicates a student’s initiative, drive, and genuine interest in a prospective career path.

3. Attending a Prestigious Summer Program

Universities and colleges, along with private organizations, often host summer programs offering advanced study in various disciplines. These prestigious programs are sought after for the academic challenge and enrichment they provide. Participation signals a student’s academic motivation and readiness to engage at a college level and even, sometimes, gain college credits. It’s also important to note that you need to select your summer program wisely and prioritize notable options to ensure it’s a worthwhile investment.

3. Leadership at a Summer Camp

The summer camp you attended as a child will often offer job positions and leadership opportunities for teenagers. These positions are great for personal growth and nurture skills such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. These experiences are invaluable in shaping well-rounded individuals.

5. Contributing to the Family Business

Working in a family store or business demonstrates responsibility and commitment.  It emphasizes a student’s ability to balance family obligations with personal goals. Students should not shy away from familial responsibilities, and it may be even a good thing to write about in your college application essay.

6. Creating Independent Projects 

Taking the initiative to create independent projects demonstrates creativity, innovation, and leadership. Whether it’s starting and creating an art portfolio, writing works of fiction, organizing a community event, or creating a blog or YouTube channel, these experiences showcase one’s ability to think outside the box and take risks.

7. Reading and Attending Events at the Local Library

Students should consistently engage in reading to broaden their worldview. If students haven’t had the chance to explore books, they are passionate about during the school year, the summer break provides the perfect opportunity to do so. Check out our list of suggested reading books here! Additionally, students can participate in events at their local library like workshops, book clubs, or read to children. Engaging in reading and attending these events is aimed at enhancing your personal growth.

8. Dedicated Test Preparation

Although we advise against spending the entire summer solely on test preparation, we do suggest utilizing this time to get ahead. Whether it’s for the SAT, PSAT, ACT, Regents or subject-specific AP exams, early preparation can significantly improve scores and thereby enhance a college application. Further, excelling in these tests can open doors to scholarships and honors programs. NYC STEM Club offers many testing options.

Turn Summers into Strategic Opportunities

Colleges look for authenticity; they want to see students who are engaged in meaningful activities that resonate with their passions, interests, career goals and/or ambitions. It’s about quality, not just quantity. A well-chosen summer experience can speak volumes about a student’s character, interests, and potential.

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Literary Fiction

1. Animal Farm, George Orwell
2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick
3. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
4. Bodega Dreams, Ernesto Quiñonez
5. Lemon, Kwon Yeo-Sun
6. Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawaguchi
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
8. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
10. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
11. Clara Luz, Jorge Eliécer Pardo
12. Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng
13. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid
14. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
15. We Are Okay, Nina LaCour
16. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
17. 1984, George Orwell
18. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
19. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
20. The Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
21. The Stars Beneath Our Feet, David Barclay Moore
22. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
23. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson

Historical Fiction

1. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
2. Fences, August Wilson
3. Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly
4. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
5. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
6. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
7. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth

Non-Fiction

1. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
2. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia, Candace Fleming
3. Crying in H-Mart, Michelle Zauner
4. Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson
5. Bring It, Ken Jennings
6. The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, Melina Mengal
7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
8. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, Trevor Noah
9. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert
10. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain
11. The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story, Richard Preston
12. Educated, Tara Westover
13. The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Elizabeth Kolbert

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If you are a freshman or sophomore, you might be wondering why you even have to consider the SAT/ACTs right now. After all, isn’t it enough that you’re maintaining a high GPA, joining a variety of extra curriculars, and are beginning to discover your interests and passions?

For most students, junior year is the time to start worrying about college entrance exams. Au contraire, there are several reasons to start preparing for the SATs in your sophomore or even by the end of your freshman year.

Avoiding the stress of over-testing in junior year:

Junior year doesn’t have to be the most stressful year of your life. Most students have a lot of responsibilities including:

a) Making sure that you earn the highest GPA they can, since it is the last opportunity to raise the overall GPA before applying to college.
b) Preparing for at least two Advanced Placement (AP) exams in the summer of junior year.
c) Studying for finals and regents.
d) Considering whether to take SAT II Subject Exams. Tier 1 and some Tier 2 colleges require at least two SAT II subject exams.
e) Taking on leadership roles in extracurricular activities, including athletic programs, to distinguish yourselves from your peers.

Not included in this list is the plethora of other obligations you may have. For example, junior year is the time to start thinking about which teacher to approach for recommendation letters. It is also the year for college trips, which require extensive research and planning to even be worth the hassle.

It is already difficult to manage all of these components with that of being a teenager. To also have to prepare for the SATs during the busiest year is unnecessary when you can get that out of the way in your sophomore year.

So when should I take the ACT/SAT and the SAT II subject tests?

This does not mean that you have to take the exam in your sophomore year. In fact, it is best to prepare for the test in 10th grade and then take the exam at the beginning of 11th grade to avoid the rush of other obligations. This will also give you the additional summer months to prepare.

For freshmen, one additional opportunity is to take the Biology SAT II Subject Exam in the summer between Freshman and Sophomore years. You would have just completed Biology and will benefit from getting one of the Subject SATs, traditionally the easiest of the SAT IIs, out of the way without too much additional work!

National merit scholarships

For those aspiring to get the National merit scholarships, by preparing for the SAT in the sophomore year, you have a high chance of doing extremely well in the PSAT (which is essentially a practice SAT) in your junior year. For others, if you test early, it gives you enough buffer time so you can test multiple times to get the score you want before your college applications are due.

ACTs/SATs now test skills that are relevant to students’ success in high school and college courses

Prior to 2016, the SATs relied more on test-taking abilities than actual comprehension and application of knowledge. Now, the exam tests tangible ELA and Math skills, meaning the earlier you prepare, the better your skills will be for the rest of their high school experience. More importantly, preparing now means you will be developing skills necessary to their success in college. Finally, SAT questions now bear a strong resemblance to questions asked on AP exams and regents. Preparing early addresses any remaining deficits in foundational ELA and Math skills, eliminating the anxiety of testing in junior year.

To sum up, complete the ACT/SAT and at least one of the subject SAT IIs before the Junior year kicks into high gear. Starting early is key! You will also benefit from having more opportunities to retake the ACT/SAT to get a higher score before you apply to colleges. Finally, this approach will ensure that your foundational skills remain strong and prepare you for the rigors of Junior, Senior years and beyond.

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